Leon, Nicaragua
Today we woke up in the port of Corinto, after a 10-hour cruise that rocked us to sleep. Corinto is the only deepwater port facility in Nicaragua. About 60% of the country’s commerce passes through it. Bright and early, we left our ship towards the city of Leon, which was founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba at the site of the indigenous village of Imabite. The city was the capital of the country from the colonial period until Managua was appointed capital in 1857.
We arrived in the center of Leon at the small, lively and colorful coffee shop called “El Sesteo” and began our morning in town savoring the local drink called cacao, a concoction of dark cocoa, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, water, and a little bit of corn starch. It is a favorite of the Nicaraguans and has been for all of our naturalists since day one! Refreshing and different, most of us welcomed the sweet and cooling drink that gave us a break from the city’s heat. After our refreshment, our Nicaraguan guide took us into the Cathedral of Leon and up onto the rooftop we went. From there, we could see the chain of volcanoes that line up with the northeastern coastline of the country. Once off the roof, we took separate ways: some of us went to the local market, others to the Ortiz-Gurdian Museum of Art, and others decided to just wonder around town to do a little bit of shopping. We met again at the corner café before walking the three blocks to our lunch place, the hotel “El Convento,” a former convent turned hotel and restaurant. Among the tall ceilings, wooden statues and wonderful gardens, we had our last lunch in Nicaragua.
On we went to our totally new destination for this afternoon: the “Sunset” Marina (“Puesto Del Sol”) of Apocentillo. Surrounded by mangrove estuaries, this small marina gave us the sheltered location we were looking for and a magnificent final view of the pacific coasts of Nicaragua.
Today we woke up in the port of Corinto, after a 10-hour cruise that rocked us to sleep. Corinto is the only deepwater port facility in Nicaragua. About 60% of the country’s commerce passes through it. Bright and early, we left our ship towards the city of Leon, which was founded in 1524 by Francisco Fernandez de Cordoba at the site of the indigenous village of Imabite. The city was the capital of the country from the colonial period until Managua was appointed capital in 1857.
We arrived in the center of Leon at the small, lively and colorful coffee shop called “El Sesteo” and began our morning in town savoring the local drink called cacao, a concoction of dark cocoa, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, water, and a little bit of corn starch. It is a favorite of the Nicaraguans and has been for all of our naturalists since day one! Refreshing and different, most of us welcomed the sweet and cooling drink that gave us a break from the city’s heat. After our refreshment, our Nicaraguan guide took us into the Cathedral of Leon and up onto the rooftop we went. From there, we could see the chain of volcanoes that line up with the northeastern coastline of the country. Once off the roof, we took separate ways: some of us went to the local market, others to the Ortiz-Gurdian Museum of Art, and others decided to just wonder around town to do a little bit of shopping. We met again at the corner café before walking the three blocks to our lunch place, the hotel “El Convento,” a former convent turned hotel and restaurant. Among the tall ceilings, wooden statues and wonderful gardens, we had our last lunch in Nicaragua.
On we went to our totally new destination for this afternoon: the “Sunset” Marina (“Puesto Del Sol”) of Apocentillo. Surrounded by mangrove estuaries, this small marina gave us the sheltered location we were looking for and a magnificent final view of the pacific coasts of Nicaragua.
